The sonic boom occurred at approximately 10:44 p.m. as the Dragon cargo capsule reentered Earth’s atmosphere following its mission to the International Space Station, according to the Hawthorne-based company.
The spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean near Oceanside, about 25 miles west of Camp Pendleton.
The phenomenon was apparently particularly noticeable throughout the San Gabriel Valley.
Pasadena residents from neighborhoods spanning East Pasadena to the Rose Bowl area reported both hearing and feeling the atmospheric disturbance.
In areas near Caltech and in the historic Bungalow Heaven neighborhood, residents reported windows vibrating from the sonic waves.
One East Pasadena resident described hearing a “huge sound,” while residents near the Rose Bowl confirmed they “heard/felt it.”
Additional reports emerged from the La Loma area and East Altadena.
The unpiloted Dragon spacecraft had delivered approximately 6,700 pounds of crew supplies, equipment and other resources to the International Space Station before undocking around 9:05 a.m. Friday morning to begin its return journey, according to NASA.
SpaceX had provided advance warning about the potential sonic boom. CEO Elon Musk tweeted approximately one hour before the event that “Dragon will also announce its arrival with a brief sonic boom prior to splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.”
The company also posted on X: “Dragon is on track to reenter Earth’s atmosphere and splash down off the southern coast of California near Oceanside at ~10:44 p.m. PT.”
The acoustic phenomenon affected a broad area across Southern California, with residents in Venice, West Hollywood, Highland Park, Agoura Hills and Santa Clarita also reporting the disturbance, according to the Los Angeles Times.
ABC7 confirmed receiving numerous calls from viewers, stating they “received many calls into our newsroom from people reporting they heard a sonic boom.”
Many residents initially mistook the sonic boom for an earthquake or explosion due to the accompanying vibrations. One San Gabriel resident described the sound as something that “sounded like something massive toppled over” while noting they “could feel the vibrations in my home.”
The sonic boom marks the latest in SpaceX’s regular cargo missions to the space station, though Saturday’s atmospheric reentry proved particularly noticeable to Southern California residents due to the spacecraft’s flight path along the coast.
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